Well, it's a fantasy for now. But it looks like L.A.-based state Assemblyman Mike Gatto might have solved the age-old problem of how to drive a Ferrari and be eco-conscious at the same time.

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He's got a bill, which just passed the assembly, that would authorize research into generating green electricity simply via roadway vibrations.

(In this scenario, it would seem, a rumbling V-12 would actually be greener than a silent-but-deadly Chevy Volt. Discuss).

It's called "piezoelectric technology," and it has already been used in Israel and Italy.

The bill would eventually authorize Caltrans to implement in on our freeways. Here's how it works, according to Gatto's office:

When a car or truck passes over pavement, the pavement vibrates ever so slightly. (You can feel these vibrations if you have ever stood on a road as a truck speeds by.) By placing relatively inexpensive piezoelectric sensors underneath a road, the vibrations produced by vehicles can be converted into electricity, which can be used to power roadside lights, call boxes, and neighboring communities.

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Dennis Romero is an L.A. Weekly staff writer. He formerly worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Los Angeles Times, where he participated in Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the L.A. riots. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone online, the Guardian and, as a young stringer, the New York Times.